Alex's POV

"Absolutely Mr. Michael." I let out a fake laugh, as I spoke to the caller on the other end of the phone. "It was all a misunderstanding. She's my fiancee and we're actually getting married in 3 months."

"Well, congratulations Mr. Knight. I'd definitely be flying over to make myself available." He said.

"Thank you once again, sir, for calling to check up regarding the news." I said as I ended the call.

Shit. Absolute shit.

Everything is shit and it's all her fault. What was I thinking? If I had just left her and mind my business, all these wouldn't be happening.

My girlfriend has been blowing up my phone ever since she saw that news. Yes I'm glad she finally called after a whole month of silence but- not like this. We had a fight about me being too busy and her never getting to spend enough time with me and now she's seeing online that I'm getting married.

"ALEX! ANSWER YOUR PHONE! I know you're seeing my calls. And I know you see this message. STOP IGNORING ME!!!" She had texted.

33 missed calls just in the space of a few hours.

How do I explain to her that it's all fake without her going public about it, making the present situation much worse?

I'm not unfamiliar with scandalous news like this, being who I am, but this particular one touched a hotspot.

An important prospect had seen the news report and had decided to back out and withdraw on our offer, saying he didn't want his company getting all mixed up in my "social life."

Social life.

That's how he put it.

The only solution was to lie to the man and tell him she was my girlfriend and that we had been dating privately but now we had finally decided to go public, which was the only way to make him see reason and accept that I wasn't some playboy, caught unawares with one of my girls.

"We're actually getting married." I said to him.

"Ah- You should have told me so!" He said out loud and burst into laughter brushing my shoulder. "You had me worried there."

"I'm sorry about that Mr. Kyle." I said and laughed courteously.

"We definitely need to toast to this." He said cheerfully as he waved for his assistant to go get a bottle of wine from his collection.

"To a happy union and a happy business." He toasted as he lifted up his glass to me.

"Cheers!" I responded.

If it wasn't for my PR's sake I would have sued the media house that published that news and I would have sued Vivienne herself for her little "accident", and I still might. But that wouldn't save my billion dollars worth of contract. This was far too important so I conceded, "taking advantage of the situation", as my assistant had put it.

"We're all ready, Mr. Knight." Stephanie said, standing with a tablet in hand. She has been working for me for 3 years now as my assistant and public relations officer. She's the very best.

"What time is it?" I asked, putting on my shoes.

"It's...12:11 pm sir." She answered, as she glanced at her watch.

"Did you tell Vivienne we would be coming to pick her up today?"

"Yes, sir." She responded. "We had a quick talk last night and I informed her about all she had to do before we arrive."

"Good." I said coldly, showing I clearly wasn't happy about the whole thing. "I'll be with you in a few minutes."

"Alright, sir." She said as she turned to leave.

"Stephanie?" I called.

"Yes, sir." She stopped and answered just as she was about walking out of my office door.

"Call Manfred and have him set her room in order. Tell him to use one of my study rooms. He can move everything out to one of the available guest rooms. I'll have everything sorted out myself when we return home." I instructed her, as she was taking notes on her tablet, nodding accordingly.

"And tell him to prepare. We have some reporters coming in this evening to interview both Vivienne and I on our... relationship."

"Absolutely, sir." She nodded. "You can leave it to me."

"Okay, that'll be all." I said. "See you downstairs in 5."

By the time we got to Vivienne's workplace it was already 12:56 pm. I had expected to see her waiting outside already but she wasn't, so I entered the building to go look for her. I saw her standing with her Boss in the office lobby, having a heated conversation.

"Vivienne you need to think this through." I heard him say. "You can't just quit."

"I'm sorry sir." Vivienne responded. "But I've made up my mind."

"At least tell me why. Is it the pay? Do you want me to give you a raise? What? What is it? Tell me." I could have sworn I saw his eyes tear up a little bit.

"I-I'm really sorry sir. It's complicated. I'll recommend a friend to replace me." I heard Vivienne say.

I decided to stand afar off giving them a little privacy and not intruding on their conversation until they finished.

The two of them stood for a little bit in silence before her boss finally let out a sigh before speaking again.

"I only hope you know what you're doing." He said. "Well, in case you change your mind my door is always open to you."

"Thank you, sir." Vivienne said with a bow.

They shared a hug and said their goodbyes before Vivienne turned to see me standing there. She didn't even smile. She looked offended.

"What- No 'hi' for your new husband?" I asked sarcastically.

"I really do hate you." She said as she passed me by before finally deciding to stop and turn.

She frowned when she looked into my eyes and then gave a ridiculous bow, her smile showing she hated this whole arrangement as much as I did.

"Hi." She pronounced audibly.

Vivienne's POV

"Good afternoon ma'am." Stephanie said to me the moment I got to the car.

"Hi." I responded. "Sorry I didn't know what to bring with me so I didn't bring anything at all."

"Don't worry about that. We're going shopping anywhere." Alex said with a frown. "Get in. We don't have all day."

I fumed, wanting to shoot back but I silently obeyed for some reason. Maybe because I didn't know what to say or because a part of me was enjoying the flow of things.

"Martins." He called the driver. "Take us to the nearest boutique. We need to get some items before we go home."

"Yes, sir." The driver responded and zoomed off.

Our first stop was Gucci. Stephanie did the job of selecting some outfits for me. And I tried on, with Alex throwing side remarks as if he didn't care. On point, I stepped out of the changing room putting on a fit and flare dress and I could have sworn I saw his eyes light up in admiration.

I twirl lightly and Stephanie gave a soft laugh.

"Excellent!" She said. "We're all set sir."

We moved on to the next stop and got some shoes, jewelries and other necessary accessories. Plus, we had my hair done.

"I look fabulous!" I said in wonder looking at myself in the mirror.

"You would make a great wife ms. Vivienne." Stephanie complimented.

I could see Alex from the reflection of the mirror glancing at his watch as he impatiently sat across the studio waiting for us.

"We're all done." Stephanie declared as we made our way to the car, with me looking like a Barbie princess. I've never looked so beautiful in my whole life.

"Thank you." I said to Alex before I could stop my lips.

"Don't thank me yet. It's all part of the contract." He said, not regarding my gratitude. "We need this to be 100% believable. All I need you to get in character and actually behave like you're in love with me."

"Excuse me?" I shot out, finally beginning to lose my cool.

"Did I say something too hard for you to understand?" He said, looking up at me as he pressed his phone. "My prospect is coming in this week and we're both going to have dinner with him." He continued. "And I don't want you frowning then like you are now. You need to loosen up."

I opened my mouth to speak but closed it just as fast because he made total sense. I was a little pissed because of his arrogance and because of the way he speaks to me with no respect.

"Here we are." Stephanie said as we arrived at the gate of a grand mansion.

I couldn't help but I put my head out the window as I looked in absolute wonder, eyes wide open.

"Woowww..." I whispered like a little child.

"Welcome home Honey." Alex said sarcastically, as we made our way out of the car and up the stairs to the front door.

A man stood waiting for us, dressed in a tuxedo. I presumed he was his butler- at least I know that much.

"Welcome Mr. Knight." He said with a courteous bow.

"Thanks Manfred." Alex responded. "Do you have everything in place?" He asked.

"Yes, sir." He nodded.

"Awesome." He said as he walked right into the building without looking back to wait for me nor Stephanie.

"What about the bags?" I asked Stephanie, referring to the items we just bought.

"Don't worry they'll all be brought in." She answered with a smile. "Let's make our way in and get you familiarized with the environment, shall we?"

"Okay." I said nervously beginning to give the whole thing a second thought. But ten million dollars made me push the thought back and brace myself.

We settled in for a bit, Alex talking to someone over the phone while Stephanie showed me around and led me to my room. Everything we bought had already been brought to the room. Everything looked so wonderful I almost opened my arms wide and spin like I was in a movie.

"I know what you're thinking." Stephanie said looking at me with a coy smile, while holding a tablet as usual. "You want to open your arms and spin around."

I didn't know when I let out a laugh and turned red, blushing.

"How did you read my mind?" I asked

"It's a gift." She said, giving an expression that showed she was proud of herself.

"Okay. so..." She started, scrolling down on her tablet. "We've got some reporters coming this evening and we need to prepare you for them."

"What?" I asked, surprised. "This evening? That's fast."

"Yeah. It is what it is." She responded without looking up, still scrolling on her tablet. "We need to set a back story of how you and Mr. Knight met and how long you've been dating. We don't want lapses in your answers when they question you, now do we?" She asked, finally raising her head, smiling.

She went on to narrate some stories to me, which would help me in knowing Alex's person much better. And I must say, from how she talked about him, he wasn't that bad.

So how come he's such an arrogant pompous pr*ck? I wondered in silence.

"Have you ever been in a relationship before?" Stephanie asked, writing something down on her tablet.

"N-No." I responded shyly, bowing my head.

She paused for a moment practically staring at me before she spoke again.

"You have NEVER dated anybody." She stated loudly as if she couldn't believe my words. "This makes things very interesting."

My face turned red as I stood there, still dressed in one of the gowns we bought at the Gucci store.

"The reporters will be here in 2 hours." She said as she glanced at the time on her tablet. "That gives us time to prepare you. Brace yourself. You're about to enter a love story I created myself." She said as she stepped closer to me, grinning excitedly.

Alex's POV

"Friday it is." I said over the phone to Mr. Kyle, my prospect. "I'll bring that wine you love so much."

"You always know the way to my heart." Mr. Kyle said with a rich laugh.

"I'm honored sir." I responded. "I have to go now. I have an appointment in the next hour. We'll talk soon." I said and ended the call.

I sat for a few seconds, pinching my nose and rubbing my face thinking about how this whole thing is going. I still haven't made the decision to respond to my girlfriend's texts.

"If you wanted to break up with me you could have said it to my face!" She had texted with crying emojis.

"Manfred." I called, finally getting myself together.

"Yes, Mr. Knight." Manfred answered.

"Prepare me something to eat." I instructed. "I haven't had anything to eat all day. Prepare enough for Vivienne and Stephanie too."

"Right away, sir."

A few minutes later Manfred came back and reported that our food was ready. And while I was eating, I watched Stephanie and Vivienne walk down the stairs and I must confess, she looked stunning.

I was taken back for a moment, staring at her before Stephanie finally cleared her throat, pulling me out of my...wonder.

"Mr. Knight, she's ready." Stephanie said, extending her arms in a dramatic manner to present Vivienne.

"You don't look half-bad." I said brazenly and glanced away as if I didn't care to continue eating my food.

"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" Vivienne asked, folding her arms as if she's offended.

"Am I supposed to compliment you?" I asked with a slight frown.

"At least a simple 'you look nice' would be good." She shot back.

"Accept what I gave you and move on." I said, waving a fork at her. "You can come join me if you'd like." I continued, extending a hand for her to have a seat. "There's enough for everybody."

The three of us sat together and ate, with Stephanie sitting closest to me, filling me in on some upcoming appointments and giving me updates on recent deals.

"Get everything sorted out and call my secretary to have all the documents printed before noon tomorrow." I said, finally done eating.

"Yes, Mr. Knight." Stephanie said with a nod.

We all finished eating with just enough time to prepare before the reporters arrived. And right on time, Manfred ushered them in.

"Thank you for having us, Mr. Knight." One of the reporters said, extending his hand.

"And wow, you look so beautiful Ms. Vivienne." The second, a lady, said, extending a hand to her.

"Oh thank you." Vivienne responded, smiling.

"Shall we begin?" I asked, extending an arm to the place we had prepared for them.

"Absolutely sir. This shouldn't be long." The first reporter said. "I'm Frank by the way."

"Frank. It's a pleasure." I said with a smile.

"You can call me Gina, Mr. Alex." The second reporter added with a blush, brushing a strand of hair behind her ears.

"And you can call me Jack." The cameraman said with a bow.

Jack set up the cameras up while we took our seat, and Stephanie stayed at a corner giving me thumbs up.

"Alright, camera rolling. Whenever you're ready." Jack said loudly.

"So, Mr. Knight, Ms. Vivienne- first off, congratulations. The world didn't even know you two were a thing until, well... it broke the internet."

"That wasn't exactly the plan." I said, leaning back stylishly for the camera with my knees crossed.

"Of course." Gina said. "But you can't blame people for being curious. Billionaire bachelor suddenly off the market? That's news."

"Off the market, huh?" Vivienne said, glancing at me. I believe Stephanie had tutored her on what to say and how to say it.

"Don't sound so shocked." I said with a smirk.

"I'm still processing it myself." She said, turning back to the reporters which made them laugh, delightedly.

"So," Frank said, leaning forward. "How long have you two been together?"

"Three months." Viv said immediately.

"Three?"

"Would you like to correct me?"

"Of course not babe." I said smoothly. "It just feels longer- in a good way."

"Oh you mean exhausting." She said, crossing her arms, pretending to be offended.

The reporters laughed again, jotting notes.

"You two have such great chemistry." Gina chimed in. "You tease like an old married couple."

"So how did you two meet?" Frank asked. "What's the story behind this romantic whirlwind?" He gestured with his hand.

"Should I tell it or do you want to ruin it?" Vivienne said glancing at me.

"I'll start." I said. "We met at an event downtown- charity gala, I think?" I said, stroking my chin pretending to think.

"He thinks." She interjected with a soft laugh. "It was a charity gala. You should have seen him- He was pretending to care."

"Of course I did care." I said sharply pretending I was defending myself.

The room chuckled again, and Frank leaned forward with his eyes bright.

"So who made the first move?"

"He-"

"I did." I said at the same time Vivienne opened her mouth to speak.

We both stopped to look at each other. The silence that followed was perfect- a comedic timing neither of us planned. I felt so impressed about her response I almost gave Stephanie a good thumbs up for preparing her so well.

"You agree?" I asked, giving her a look that I was impressed by her flow, given this is all fake.

"I'm acknowledging your delusion." She said sarcastically, folding her arms.

"You're welcome." I bowed my head slightly in a dramatic manner.

Gina laughed so hard she had to lower her notepad.

"You two are hilarious." She said.

"Please don't encourage him." Vivienne said, gesturing toward the camera, faking seriousness.

Ten minutes in, and it was going better than we had expected. Vivienne was flowing so well you would think we actually truly have been dating each other. All that's left now is to finish up and make preparations for our dinner with Mr. Kyle. He's very inquisitive and we need to do better than this.

"So, what made you two decide to finally go public?" Gina asked, while scribbling something on her note.